No lease has been announced, but the City is reviewing detailed construction plans for a Microsoft Corp. retail store at St. Johns Town Center that indicate a build-out cost of $3.1 million.
Microsoft would not confirm that cost or its plans for Jacksonville. However, it paid $6,200 in plan review fees based on that amount.
Preliminary utility and other landlord work has been approved at the address, 4791 River City Drive, Suite 107, to prepare for a tenant. The $26,514 project includes utility work and exterior soft seating.
The plans and application under review identify Microsoft as the applicant and include renderings of the interior of a 4,975-square-foot retail store.
Plans show a theater, Xbox area, Skinit room and more. The permit shows the work would cover tenant improvements, architecture, signs and graphics, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, security and communications, lighting design and other elements.
The architect is Gensler of Los Angeles, the program manager is ADMI Inc. of Morgan Hill, Calif., and the tenant coordinator is Simon Property Group Inc. of Indianapolis.
Simon is the landlord and a co-developer of the St. Johns Town Center.
No contractor is listed on the application and the Microsoft.com website does not list Jacksonville as a retail-store location.
When Jacksonville is searched on the site, the response is: "We're certain it's a nice town, but at the moment there are no Microsoft Stores near you."
"Don't worry, we're opening new stores around the nation and one of them might be in your fine neighborhood," it says.
On April 29, the Daily Record reported Microsoft Corp., which has about 65 full-line and specialty stores in 29 states, Canada and Puerto Rico, intends to open a retail store in St. Johns Town Center, according to plans filed with the City.
A building-permit application and plans specified a Microsoft Retail Store at St. Johns Town Center. The Phase 1 construction was shown as the core and shell modifications.
A St. Johns Town Center official said then there were discussions with Microsoft but no lease had been signed.
The Microsoft location is not far from the Apple store, which is at 4712 River City Drive and is one of the debut tenants at St. Johns Town Center, which opened in March 2005.
Microsoft issued a statement in April and repeated Wednesday that it doesn't have an announcement.
"While we're exploring several locations for future Microsoft Stores, we have no specific new store locations to announce at this time," said a statement from Jonathan Adashek, Microsoft general manager of communications strategy.
Two earlier permit applications showed core and shell modifications for Microsoft as a $400,000 project and a separate permit application called for landlord work, valued at $350,000, for utilities and exterior work at the address.
Microsoft Corp. opened its first Microsoft Retail Store in 2009 in Scottsdale, Ariz., according to the website. Microsoft is based in Redmond, Wash., near Seattle.
The stores sell computers, software, games, music, tablets and mobile phones. The site lists product selection as "a curated assortment of products" including desktops, laptops, tablets and all-in-one PCs running Windows 8; Xbox 360 consoles and accessories, including Kinect for Xbox 360; Windows Phones; Microsoft Office; and personalization options and accessories.
Microsoft has five full-line and smaller specialty stores in Florida.
The website also focuses on the store associates, who "will provide tailored services so customers find the technology that works best for their lives."
Stores include an answer desk, customer training, a workshop area, personal shopping sessions and business solutions.
Stores feature a community development specialist to work with local organizations "to arrange in-store events and activities that help drive awareness of their causes within the community while offering the opportunity to learn new technology skills."
The site lists events such as Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops earning tech badges, local chamber of commerce meetings, science class field trips and resume workshops for women re-entering the workforce.
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